Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/612

588 The whole body of the French cavalry, near 300, who were all Europeans, appeared on the plain in the rear of the camp to which they had retreated, followed by the cavalry of the English army, whose encounter they had hitherto avoided by abler evolutions: so that neither of these two bodies had been within sight of the brunt between the two infantries. The French cavalry chanced to be near enough to see the flight of Lorrain through the camp, and, animated by a sense of national honour, resolved to protect them, if, as might be expected, they should endeavour to escape still farther by gaining the plain. In this purpose they united their squadrons, and drew up in the rear of the camp, and in face of the English cavalry, of whom the black horse, awed by their resolution, dared not, and the European were too few, to charge them. This unexpected succour probably prevented the utter dispersion of the French army. There were in the rear of the camp three field-pieces with their tumbrils of ammunition; at which the fugitives of Lorrain, encouraged by the appearance of the cavalry, stopped, and yoked them. These protections restored confidence to Lally's and the India battalion as they arrived, likewise beaten from the field. They set fire to the tents and undangerous stores near them, and the whole filed off into the plain in much better order than their officers expected. The three fieldpieces kept in the rear of the line of infantry, and behind them moved the cavalry. They passed to the westward, and when opposite to the pettahs of Vandivash were joined by the troops, who had continued at the batteries there, which they abandoned, leaving all the stores and baggage, and received no interruption from the garrison as they were going off. The Morattoes, who were under the mountain when the cannonade began, intended not only to protect their own camp, but to fall upon the baggage of the English army; but when they saw the whole body of Sepoys remaining in the rear of the action, were deterred from advancing to the village, to which the baggage was sent; and having their own all ready loaded on their bullocks, sent off the whole train to the westward soon after the cannonade commenced; and with the first notice from their scouts of the rout of Lorrain, began to go off